Gul Panag First Indian Woman To Drive Formula E Racing Car

Formula E

Posted on: 28 April, 2017

April 28, 2017, Barcelona: Actor, auto enthusiast and adventure junkie, Gul Panag, became the first Indian woman to drive a Formula E racing car when she drove Mahindra Racing's all new M4Electro at the Circuit de Calafat in Catalonia, Spain on April 26.

The M4Electro is Mahindra Racing's fourth generation Formula E racing car, and its Season 4 challenger with its sights set on creating racing history. Mahindra fans will soon be able to experience the power of this technologically advanced beast as its powertrain will soon find its way into the company's road cars.

A passionate advocate for EV technology, Gul is the proud owner of Mahindra Electric's all-electric e2oPlus city smart car and was excited to experience the high-end technology of the M4Electro first hand. To ensure she could take on this formidable challenge, Mahindra Racing Formula E Team driver, Felix Rosenqvist helped her perfect her driving technique on a simulator at Mahindra Racing’s Development Centre in Barcelona a day before she took to the track.

Driving a race car is an extreme experience that requires a high level of fitness as the G forces create tremendous stress on the body. It requires specialized training to ensure lightning quick reflexes and a high level of precision.

"I feel privileged to know that I am amongst very few people in the world, including the motorsport world, to drive this car on what is only its second outing. The M4Electro is supercharged and feels like the e2oPlus on steroids! The powertrain and the speed of delivery did not take me by surprise because I am already familiar with EV technology, having driven the e2oPlus for a while now. With the M4 Electro, Mahindra has also proved that it is well ahead of the curve when it comes to transportation and is thus, well positioned to shape the future of mobility. In fact, I felt like I was driving the future!" said Gul Panag after she had driven the M4Electro.

"Most people can only imagine what it must be like to drive a racing car and fewer still get the privilege of actually driving one. So, we invited Gul to Spain to experience the power of the M4Electro first hand, especially since she's already familiar with EV tech at the street car level. We want to let the world know that EV technology is accessible and can help define the electric cars of tomorrow. This is aligned with our vision for the future where the cars we develop will be smaller scaled down versions of race cars," said Team Principal, Dilbagh Gill as he outlined the Group's vision of the Future of Mobility.

Mahindra Racing is one of ten teams – and the only Indian team – to compete in the FIA Formula E Championship. It is also the first and only Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship Series since 2011 and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV) in 2012.

Mahindra Racing enters the third season of Formula E with its own electric powertrain to power its quartet of electric racing cars. The new M3Electro, launched for season three, is already proving to be a competitive package netting two podiums, a pole position and two fastest lap awards from its first three races. These results are underscored by the Mahindra Racing’s joint second place in the Teams’ Championship standings. Together with drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, the team has high technical and sporting ambitions in the ground-breaking, fully-electric championship.

In 2015, Mahindra & Mahindra was recognized as the Best Company for CSR in India in a study by the Economic Times. In 2014, Mahindra featured on the Forbes Global 2000, a comprehensive listing of the world's largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by revenue, profit, assets and market value. The Mahindra Group also received the Financial Times 'Boldness in Business' Award in the 'Emerging Markets' category in 2013.